


clear skies (thanks to you)

by glitch_writes



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Comfort, Fear of Flying, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 00:00:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16902216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitch_writes/pseuds/glitch_writes
Summary: The plane around him was full, bustling, every seat filled and everyone making noise in their own ways, from talking to shifting to laughing at whatever was playing on the tiny monitors built into the backs of the seats in front of them.Full and noisy and busy, but all Semi could process was blurs - dashes of life around him.Red hair. Wrappers crinkling. A cat-like grin. The chill from the window. A hand on his shoulder.“Hey, hey, it’s okay! Just breathe!” His neighbor ducked his head - red hair - to take over Semi’s view. “Close your eyes.”“Okay,” Semi replied, more an exhale than a word, following the stranger’s voice and closing his eyes. “Okay.”The hand on his shoulder massaged, fingers rough against his skin. Firm. Grounding. “Just breeeeathe in. Take a nice, deep breath, take it slow… Good, good. Let it out, slow again…”





	clear skies (thanks to you)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [quietlyobscure](https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietlyobscure/gifts).



It was ridiculous to be scared of planes. 

Statistically, the chances of getting hurt in a plane were nearly one in 30 million. Semi was far more likely to bite it in a car. Or even in his own apartment. Honestly, he was at a higher risk of suffering at the hands of some bad takeout.

_ “Hey. ...Hey?”  _

Even if - big ‘If’ - something happened to the plane, there was a much higher chance he’d walk out unscathed, maybe bruised up or a broken bone at worst. That was why plane accidents always made it on the news - they were so rare, and the passengers getting severely hurt? Even more unlikely. 

_ “Helllloooo~” _

It was ridiculous to be scared of planes.

_ “-okay there-”  _

And no matter how many statistics Semi looked up, no matter what he or anyone told him, he was still absolutely petrified.

_ “-a breath, alright?” _

“Huh?” Semi turned to the voice on his side that he was vaguely aware of, a few words trickling through the pulse pounding in his ears. 

The plane around him was full, bustling, every seat filled and everyone making noise in their own ways, from talking to shifting to laughing at whatever was playing on the tiny monitors built into the backs of the seats in front of them. 

Full and noisy and busy, but all Semi could process was blurs - dashes of life around him. 

Red hair. Wrappers crinkling. A cat-like grin. The chill from the window. A hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay! Just breathe!” His neighbor ducked his head - red hair - to take over Semi’s view. “Close your eyes.”

“Okay,” Semi replied, more an exhale than a word, following the stranger’s voice and closing his eyes. “Okay.”

The hand on his shoulder massaged, fingers rough against his skin. Firm. Grounding. “Just breeeeathe in. Take a nice, deep breath, take it slow… Good, good. Let it out, slow again…”

After the second breath, his jaw unclenched, a tension easing with his shoulders. 

With four breaths, his fists relaxed, palms burning from the nails he hadn’t realized were digging. 

By his tenth breath, his thoughts had cleared - at least, enough to remember his manners. He opened his eyes slowly, reluctantly. 

The man looking back expectantly was too close, yet somehow, comfortably so, head tilted and blinking at Semi, but pulling away with that cat-like grin Semi could finally register. “Welcome back to earth!”

“Thank you-”

“Here!” The stranger shoved something into Semi’s hand before he could respond, a small package that crinkled. “It’s just peanuts, but getting something in your stomach helps. The steward should be coming back around with drinks, too. It’s ginger ale, so, you know, probably not actually helpful, but hey, can’t argue the placebo effect. If it works, it works, right?”

“I suppose…” Semi took another deep breath, calmer this time, holding it in his chest as he scanned around the plane. It was quieter than he remembered, hushed conversations with the occasional clatter of this or that. The lights were more soothing, too - a few white fluorescent lights, the plane mostly illuminated by the light from the windows. The clouds floating by in the corner of his eye were, well, terrifying in the context of it all - proof that he was miles up in the sky in nothing but a tin can - but they weren’t quite so threatening a view, soft and drifting as they floated by. 

Still, best not to focus on them and their implications, Semi decided. “Thank you,” he offered again to the stranger. “I… can’t say I like planes much.” 

“Ha! No kidding!” The stranger laughed without a worry, either oblivious or shameless to the hushed crowd around them. “First time flying?”

Semi shook his head. “Second. And hopefully last. What about you?”

“I fly all the time. School’s on one side of the country, family’s on the other. As long as the family’s paying, I’ll stick with this over twelve-hour bus rides.” He shoved his empty peanut wrapper in the cup holder between them. “I’m Tendou, by the way! Tendou Satori.”

“I’m Semi Eita. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Semi? That’s fun to say. Semi. Semi, Semi, Semi… Tell me about yourself, Semi-Semi!” 

“Only if you never call me that again.” 

Tendou had plenty of questions - what type of music did Semi like (“A bit of everything.”), did he have any weird hobbies (“It’s not  _ weird, _ but painting miniature figures.”), was he into manga (“Only when a friend lends one.”), what was he studying at school (“Physics.”), what would his role be in an apocalypse ignited by a robot revolution (“Combat, definitely.”). 

Semi asked every question back, and every response was far more entertaining than the complimentary movie playing on the monitors. (“I like all kinds of stuff, do you have any recs?”, “Building garage kits! But I suck at painting, do you have any tips?”, “I read everything, you should read ‘Promised Neverland’, it’s the best!”, “Chemistry. That makes us mortal enemies.”, “I’ll be fighting right by your side!”)

Tendou was… easy to talk to. Unique, always listening, always giving a response Semi never would have expected but was certainly grateful for. Bold, speaking his mind, playfully teasing but never cruel. 

With Tendou laughing beside him, he’d forgotten he was terrified.

Until they struck turbulence. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay! Happens every flight.” Tendou peeled Semi’s clenched fist open to wrap his fingers around his palm, squeezing. “It’s probably just some wind. It’ll be over in a minute. It’s okay. It’ll all be okay.” 

Semi squeezed back, too tightly, refusing to let go. “Promise?” 

“Promise. Pinky promise.” Tendou held up his other hand, pinky outstretched. 

Semi curled his pinky around Tendou’s quickly, desperate for his grounding touch. 

Instead of letting go, Tendou rested their linked hands beside their others on the armrest. “Need to do the breathing thing again?”

“N-no- No, I should be okay,” Semi managed between stuttered breaths before taking ina  deeper one, holding it in for a count of four.

“Where do you go to school? Maybe we’re not too far from each other.”

“To- Tokyo Tech.” 

“What!? Same here! How did I never notice you?! We  _ have _ to have passed each other.”

Semi gave him a wry, though weak, smile. “I always take early morning classes.”

“I  _ knew _ there was something fishy about you,” Tendou replied with a fake sneer. “Nobody can be this fun and hot without having some weird secret like signing up for morning classes on purpose.” 

Semi let out a laugh, sharp but as weak as his smile. “It leaves more time in the day.”

“But the  _ cost,  _ Semi-semi. Think of the cost. Nobody deserves to lose the extra hour of sleep.” 

The pilot’s announcement interrupted Semi’s laugh, a welcomed interruption: Turbulence over, clear skies till landing in less than ten minutes. 

“Thanks.” Semi reluctantly unlinked their pinkies and loosened his grip on Tendou’s other hand. But he didn’t let go. “This trip would have been a nightmare without you.” 

Tendou didn’t let go either. “Pleasure’s all mine. Soo, uh… Maybe we should exchange info? Maybe we live near each other, we can split a cab…” 

Semi gently squeezed the hand in his. “Sounds like a plan.”


End file.
